The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1887-06-25
A BAG WITH HOLES.
BY ROSE TERRY COOKE.

Aunt Pratt sat in the south window of
the kitchen knitting. She had right
to sit there, for she paid her board pune
tually, having ''means," as the neighbors
said.
What the Potters would have done
without her board to help them they
could not think-now they had it, Yet
before Mrs. Potter's Uncle Ebenezer died
they had lived just as many other poor
people live. Uncle Ebenezer had never
helped his niece at all since he gave her
a modest outfit and hundred dollars in
cash when she married Rowley Potter, a
young fellow who was getting good
wages in the rifle factory at 81.
Louisa was pretty, capable, bright
girl then; but that was twenty years ago.
Now she was thin, sallow, fretful wo-
man. Potter still worked in the "rihe
shop" as they called it, but he had only
one dollar day more wages than when
he was married, and there were four
children. Lofty eighteen years old,
pretty, pert and vain, worked in hosi-
cry; Tom, sixteen was in nut and bolt
.'shop;" Idalla, girl of fourteen, was a
scash girl'' in Holmes & Harper's great
dry goods store. Tom and Lofty paid
their board, "Idy" clothed herself, she
could get bargains and remnants SO
cheap; when she should be promoted
into "ssles lady," she, too, would pay
like the others. The fourth child little
Davy was only ten; he went to public
school.
When Aunt Pratt was left a widow,
she made up her mind to sell the farm
and board somewhere; she had no chill
dren, but she did have rheumatism
enough to tire her with its aches and
stiffness more than family of the noisi-
est boys and girls could have tired her.
The farm was good one, well improved,
the house and barns in thorough repair,
and there were six COWS and two horses
as we'll as plenty of farming implements,
She got 81, 500 for the whole. The neigh
bors said it was worth more; the buyer
said it was worth lees; SO shrewd Aunt
Pratt considered the price fair.
Then there was 81 800 in the Dalton
Bank, the slow accumulation of butter
money, egg money, the sale of poultry
and calves; 5000 in all and every cent
her own. Squire Hart, of Dalton, who was
executor of the will, invested the money
in safe ways at six per cent, and Mrs.
Pratt began to look about her for
home. She knew that Louisa Potter
had felt hurt about her Uncle Pratt will;
he only left to her her graandmothers
mahogany furniture and the savings
bank book in which he had deposited
the profit made out of the Friesland hens
and the white heiffer calf she had left on
his hands when she married-a sum
amounting to 800 now.
But Louisa and her husband had ex.
pected more, and Mrs. Pratt was a lust
woman, capable of understanding other
peoples feelings, so she did not wonder.
After much thought, and without any
suggestion from them, she proposed to
come into II. and board with Louisa. So
they gave up to her Lottie's front bed.
room, and put Lofty in with Ida, and as
they cooked and ate in the same room
where they sat at evening, Aunt Pratts
rocker, her foot stool, her small round
table and her work basket we're establish.
ed in the sunny south window, where she
could look down into the street and up
into the sky; for this tenement was on a